Foundation president discusses race, history at Frederick Douglass High

Activist says he is hopeful his message will reach some students

Frederick Douglass High School senior William Ajani Queen (left) visits with Kenneth B. Morris, Jr., a descendant of both Frederick Douglass and Booker T. Washington and president of the Frederick Douglass Family Foundation, after Morris' presentation about his family's history and modern-day slavery.

A descendent of two prominent figures in African-American history said he hoped his message to high school seniors—about race in America, the importance of education and the need for students to know their own families' histories—would reach at least some of the students he spoke to at Frederick Douglass High School on Oct. 15.

Some seniors dozed at their tables during the assembly, which was held in the school's cafeteria. Some chatted loudly, and others watched Kenneth B. Morris, Jr., with rapt attention.

"You don't have to be an adult to be a leader," said Morris, 46, of Washington, D.C. "There are leaders in this room, right now."

Morris, a direct descendent of civil rights leaders Frederick Douglass and Booker T. Washington and the president of the Washington, D.C.-based Frederick Douglass Family Foundation, used Douglass' life to stress the importance of education among all people, especially minority groups. The Upper Marlboro high school's student population is 92 percent black.

He said Douglass, who was born a slave, was forbidden from learning how to read and write, but he taught himself to do both at a young age.

"Once Frederick Douglass learned to read and write, he knew there was nothing that was going to hold him back, and he knew his days as a slave were numbered," he said. "Read, read, read—it's your key to freedom. It's your key to life."

About 63 percent of Frederick Douglass High students were rated "reading proficient" in state testing last year, below the average Prince George's County score of 71.6 percent. But the school's marks have been increasing steadily, up from about 47 percent in 2006 and about 37 percent in 2005.

Morris also told students they should learn about the history of the civil rights movement and their own families' histories.

"If you guys don't reconnect and learn about your family history, it will die with your grandparents," he said. "Your children will not have a sense of where they came from… If you don't know where you came from, you won't know where you're going."

At the end of his lecture, Morris discussed modern-day slavery—forced prostitution, indentured servitude and the conscription of child soldiers—and said there are more slaves today than there were in four centuries of the Atlantic slave trade. He urged students to become active on the issue.

As the assembly cleared out, a small handful of students lingered to talk with Morris and discuss the topics he had addressed.

Jamieo Manigault, a senior, said Morris' comments resonated with him. "I thought the presentation was very informative," he said. "My family's kind of disconnected. I'm going to go talk to my grandmother when I get home."

William Ajani Queen, a senior who said he always writes his middle name to reflect his heritage, stayed to speak with Morris after the lecture. He said he also liked Morris' speech.

"I think I need to know my history better," he said. "Why do they burn the libraries [when a country invades another]? To erase the memories of the people."

The Frederick Douglass Family Foundation, which Morris started in August 2007, is dedicated to ending modern-day slavery and encouraging people to learn about the history of race in America. Morris gives lectures and raises funds for the organization on a full-time basis, and he said he has been traveling the East Coast seeking grants from corporations and foundations.

Morris said he has gone to 30 schools on the East Coast this year. He wants enough funding to send speakers across the country next year and hopes to find other descendants of civil rights leaders to participate. He hopes his group will be able to reach one million students by the fall of 2009.

Morris said he believes he is getting through to students.

"We've gone to schools in terrible neighborhoods where kids younger than these kids were quiet and attentive," he said. "[But] I thought the reaction of the students here was great."

Morris said he expects some students to pay attention and others to ignore him, but he is confident that his lectures are making an impact.

"Even if we reach just a handful… this presentation will make a difference in their lives," he said.